'Nothing wrong with interfaith marriages, but alliances through fraud need to be stopped': Fadnavis

Mumbai: With the process of framing a law on love-jihad in Maharashtra put in motion last week, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said that there was nothing wrong in inter-faith marriages, however, strict action needs to be take be taken in case of matrimonial alliance by way of fraudulent means and false identifies.

“The Supreme Court and the Kerala High Court (in the past) has made observations about love-jihad,” Fadnavis, who is also the state Home and Law & Judiciary Minister, told reporters in Nagpur.

"It is a reality, and in Maharashtra, incidents are in rise about women being duped into marriage and then abandoned once children are born are born,” he said, adding: “There is no harm in inter-faith marriages but actions need to be taken in case someone defrauds a woman and abandon a woman after marriage.”

On Friday, the Fadnavis-led MahaYuti-NDA dispensation formed a committee headed by the Director General of Police to look at various aspects including legal and technical issues vis-a-vis framing of a love on love jihad in Maharashtra. The seven-member committee would be headed by state DGP as its Chairperson while the six other members are Additional Chief Secretary/Principal Secretary/Secretary of Women and Child Welfare Department, Minorities Welfare Department, Law and Judiciary Department, Social Justice and Special Assistance Department and two Additional Secretary/Deputy Secretary of the Home Department.

“….elected representatives (sitting and former), various organisations and citizens had made representations to the state government seeking enactment of legislation to curb Love Jihad and forced conversions in the state. Some of the states have already enacted laws. A special committee has been established to study the present situation and suggest measures to curb Love Jihad, forced conversions and conversions done through cheating,” the GR/notification reads.

Over the last several years, BJP leaders including Mangal Prabhat Lodha, Nitesh Rane, Kirit Somaiya, Ram Kadam among others have been demanding law to combat the ills involving 'love-jihad'.

“Love jihad is a serious issue, and the state government is working towards preventing such incidents,” said Lodha, who is the Minister of Skill, Employment, Entrepreneurship and Innovation.

During the first term of the MahaYuti government, when Lodha was in charge of the Women and Child Development Department, he had set up the Interfaith Marriage Coordination Committee, which played a significant role in highlighting such incidents.

Lodha also highlighted the unfortunate incidents of love jihad that have taken place in Mumbai and surrounding areas in recent times. "Shraddha Walkar was brutally murdered by Aftab Amin. Rupali Chandanshive was killed by Iqbal Sheikh. Poonam Kshirsagar was murdered by Nizam Khan. Yashashree Shinde from Uran was killed by Dawood Sheikh. Sonam Shukla from Malad tragically lost her life at the hands of Shahjib Ansari. How can one claim that love jihad is not happening when such incidents are evident before us?" Lodha said.